THE rumours circulating the Premiership that Newcastle United possess a soft-centre appear to be borne out by the statistics this season.

The possible arrival of Jonathan Woodgate - dependant on Robbie Fowler staying at Elland Road - should shore up a decidedly suspect central defence, with Robson having already tried a variety of pairings this term in a bid to stop the flow of goals against.

Despite Sir Bobby having permed any two from Nikos Dabizas, Titus Bramble, Andy O'Brien, Aaron Hughes and Steve Caldwell, he still hasn't found the winning formula.

Woodgate would be an automatic choice, and it would appear to be a battle between Dabizas, Bramble and O'Brien to play alongside the Middlesbrough-born 23-year-old.

An impressive 12 wins from 13 at home in the league this season - their only defeat when Leeds were the visitors back in September - is countered by the Magpies conceding 24 goals on their travels in the Premiership.

The only team to have conceded more away from home in the top flight are bottom club West Ham.

A successful European campaign - which begins again a week tonight in Leverkusen - has been blighted by Newcastle's rearguard, with 15 goals conceded in eight games in the Champions League proper.

Put simply Newcastle would more than likely be up there with Arsenal at the top of the league, and sitting a lot prettier in phase two of the Champions League if only they could plug the leaks at the back.

The full-backs may not be immune from criticism, but it is at the heart of the defence where the real problems lie.

The most popular pairing for Robson has been Dabizas and O'Brien, but the statistics show this to be his least successful.

Of the 12 games played by the duo they have won only four and lost eight, conceding an average of more than two goals per game.

The most successful pairing is Dabizas and Bramble, which ironically was Sir Bobby's first choice at the start of the season.

Despite Bramble coming under fire at the beginning of his Newcastle career, when he plays alongside Dabizas the Magpies have yet to lose.

With Dabizas no longer an automatic choice, Woodgate and Bramble appear the likely pairing once the 23-year-old recovers from a thigh injury that is expected to keep him out of action until early March.

That is of course if the £10m switch from Elland Road to St James' park becomes a reality

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